WHITE EUROPEAN CHRISTIAN OVERBEARINGNESS AND IGNORANCE
My Eastern Montana background provided for many an hour of contemplation on this.
Below are examples of Red Jacket’s oration so long ago. There is a supreme sadness in these words today. At least most of us can feel sorrow.
“The red man knows the Great Spirit is God, yet he had no Bible to tell him so.”
— Red Jacket.
“The maxims of Christian people are very good, but their lives are very bad.”
— Red Jacket.
“If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? We never quarrel about religion.”
— Red Jacket.
“Red men will have all the time that passes; white men can have no more.”
— Red Jacket.
Red Jacket (known as Otetiani [Always Ready] in his youth and Sagoyewatha [Keeper Awake] Sa-go-ye-wa-tha as an adult because of his oratorical skills) (c. 1750 – January 20, 1830) was a Seneca orator and chief of the Wolf clan, based in Western New York. On behalf of his nation, he negotiated with the new United States after the American Revolutionary War, when the Seneca as British allies were forced to cede much land following the defeat of the British; he signed the Treaty of Canandaigua (1794). He helped secure some Seneca territory in New York state, although most of his people had migrated to Canada for resettlement after the Paris Treaty. Red Jacket's speech on "Religion for the White Man and the Red" (1805) has been preserved as an example of his great oratorical style.
Indian speech, delivered before a gentleman missionary, from Massachusetts, by a chief, commonly called by the white people Red Jacket. His Indian name is Sagu-ua-what-hath, which being interpreted, is Keeper-awake. ... Boston
INDIAN SPEECH,
Delivered before a Gentleman Missionary, from Massachusetts, by a Chief, commonly called by the white people RED JACKET. His Indian name is SAGU-Y A-WHAT-HATH, which being interpreted, is KEEPER-AWAKE.
In the summer of 1805, a number of the principal chiefs and warriors of the Six Nations of Indians, principally Senecas, assembled at Buffaloe Creek, in the State of New-York, at the particular request of a gentleman missionary, (Rev. Mr. Cram,) from the State of Massachusetts. The missionary being furnished with an interpreter, and accompanied by the agent of the United States, for Indian Affairs, met the Indians in council, and had a talk with them; when their Chief delivered the following answer:
Friend & Brother. —It was the will of the Great Spirit that we should meet this day. He orders all things and has given as a fine day for our council. He has taken his garment from before the sun, and caused it to shine with brightness upon us. Our eyes are opened, that we see clearly; our ears are unstopped, that we have been able to hear distinctly the words you have spoken. For all these favors we thank the Great Spirit, and HIM only.
Brother. This council fire was kindled by you. It was at your request that we came together at this time. We have listened with attention to what you have said. You requested us to speak our minds freely. This gives us great joy; for we now consider that we stand upright before you, and can speak what we think. All have heard your voice, and all speak to you as one man. Our minds are agreed.
Brother. You say you want an answer to your talk before you leave this place. It is right you should have one, as you are at a great distance from home, and we do not wish to detain you. But we will first look back a little, and tell you what our fathers have told us, and what we have heard from the white people.
Brother. Listen to what we say. There was a time when our forefathers owned this great island. Their feats extended from the rising to the setting of the sun. The Great Spirit had made it for the use of the Indians. He had created the buffaloe, the deer, and other animals for food. He had made the bear and the beaver. Their skins served us for cloathing. He had scattered them over the country, and taught us how to take them. He had caused the earth to produce corn for bread. All this He had done for his red children because he loved them. If we had some disputes about our hunting ground, they were generally settled without the shedding of much blood.
But an evil day came upon us. Your fore-fathers crossed the great water and landed upon this island. Their numbers were small. They found friends, not enemies. They told us they had fled from their own country for fear of wicked men, and had come here to enjoy their religion. They asked for a small seat. We took pity on them, we granted their request, and they sat down amongst us. We gave them corn and meat, they gave us poison [alluding, it is supposed to ardent spirits] in return.
The white people had now found our country. Tidings were carried back and more came amongst us. Yet we did not fear them. We took them to be friends. They called us brothers. We believed them, and gave them a larger seat. At length their numbers had greatly increased. They wanted more land; they wanted our country. Our eyes were opened and our minds became uneasy. Wars took place. Indians were hired to fight against Indians, and many of our people were destroyed. They also brought strong liquors amongst us. It was strong and powerful and has slain thousands.
Brother. Our seats were once large and yours were small. You have now become a great people, and we have scarcely a place left to spread our blankets. You have got our country, but are not satisfied; you want to force your religion upon us.
Brother. Continue to listen.
You say you are sent to instruct us how to worship the Great Spirit agreeably to his mind, and, if we do not take hold of the religion which you white people teach, we shall be unhappy hereafter. You say that you are right and we are lost. How do we know this to be true? We understand that your religion is written in a book. If it was intended for us as well as you, why has not the Great Spirit given to us, and not only to us, but to our forefathers, the knowledge of that book, with the means of understanding it rightly? We only know what you tell us about it. How shall we know when to believe, being so often deceived by the white people.
Brother. You say there is but one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why not all agreed, as you can all read the book?
Brother. We do not understand these things. We are told that your religion was given to your forefathers, and has been handed down from father to son. We also have a religion, which was given to our forefathers, and has been handed down to us their children. We worship in that way. It teaches us to be thankful for all the favors we receive: to love each other, and to be united. We never quarrel about religion.
Brother. The Great Spirit has made us all, but he has made a great difference between his white and red children. He has given us different complexions and different customs. To you he has given the arts. To these he has not opened our eyes. We know these things to be true. Since he has made so great a difference between us in other things; why may we not conclude that he has given us a different religion according to our understanding? The Great Spirit does right. He knows what is best for his children; we are satisfied.
Brother. We do not wish to destroy your religion, or take it from you. We only want to enjoy our own.
Brother. We are told that you have been preaching to the white people in this place. These people are our neighbors. We will wait a little while and see what effect your preaching has upon them. If we find it does them good, makes them honest and less disposed to cheat Indians; we will then consider again what you have said.
Brother. You have now heard our answer to your talk, and this is all we have to say at present. As we are going to part, we will come and take you by the hand, and hope the Great Spirit will protect you on your journey, and return you safe to your friends.
As the Indians began to approach the missionary, he rose hastily from his seat and replied, that he could not take them by the hand, that there was no fellowship between the religion of God and the works of the devil.
It being afterwards suggested to the missionary that his reply to the Indians were rather indiscreet; he observed, that he supposed the ceremony of shaking hands would be received by them as a token that he assented to what they had said. Being otherwise informed, he said he was sorry for the expression.
NATHANIEL COVERLY, Printer, Milk St. Boston.
***************
The Senecas fought briefly in the War of 1812 on the American side, but that did little to dissuade real estate speculators intent on acquiring their territory. In 1819, the Ogden Land Company obtained New York State’s approval to buy the Tonawanda and Buffalo Creek tracts and relocate the Senecas living there to the Allegany tract on the Pennsylvania border. David Ogden, a former Congressman who headed the land company, convened a council near Buffalo to present the offer.
Red Jacket’s reply, which took an hour to deliver, was scathing – especially his conclusion:
Dare you pretend to us that our Father the President, while he sees our blood running yet fresh from the wounds received while fighting his battles, has sent you with a message to persuade us to relinquish the poor remains of our once boundless possessions -- to sell the birthplace of our children, and the graves of our fathers? No! Sooner than believe that he gave you this message, we will believe that you have stolen your commission, and are a cheat and a liar.
You tell us of your claim to our land, and that you have purchased it from your State. We know nothing of your claim, and we care nothing for it. Even the whites have a law, by which they cannot sell what they do not own. How, then, has your State, which never owned our land, sold it to you? We have a title to it, and we know that our title is good; for it came direct from the Great Spirit, who gave it to us, his red children. When you can ascend to where He is and will get His deed, and show it to us, then, and never till then, will we acknowledge your title. You say that you came not to cheat us of our lands, but to buy them. Who told you that we have lands to sell? You never heard it from us.
Did I not tell you, the last time we met, that whilst Red Jacket lived you would get no more lands of the Indians? How, then, while you see him alive and strong, do you think to make him a liar?
In the current environment of our nation’s future on the line from the extremism of MAGA Republicans I actually needed a break from it all. This writing was a nice break as it turned out. It’s never too late to accept Red Jacket’s wisdom. And most certainly the Great Spirit is one hundred percent the same as the Christian God.
168th Posting, February 10, 2024.